The 'unnoticed and unseen' struggles on new estates

Saffron McCubbin, who works as a therapist, says the housing estate she lives on has "an isolated feel"

"It feels lonely," Saffron McCubbin says of the new build housing estate she has lived on for three years.

"It's kind of claustrophobic."

But a few yards down the same road in Milton Keynes, 25-year-old Charlotte Harris believes "it is a really nice estate, it's full of families".

A report by the Open University has found people on new estates can have very different experiences of the same small area. For some the homes provide a "safe and secure" environment, but others can be left feeling isolated.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said its rules were clear: developments should include infrastructure.

But the research says a lack of community facilities and public transport can create particular challenges for those on lower incomes, which can be "unnoticed and unseen" among the "shininess" of new homes.

Eagle Farm South has a play area, a local school and last year a convenience store opened on the estate

Ms McCubbin, 31, lives with her husband and three-year-old daughter in Eagle Farm South, an area on the southern edge of Milton Keynes - beyond rows of large blue distribution warehouses.

She grew up in the city, but most recently lived in Bristol until she moved back three years ago.

She has been searching online for a new place to live.

There are lots of children's parks but no "accessible green space" and "if you want to go anywhere, you are going in a car", she explains.

"There's not much soul or edge or community."

Milton Keynes is building houses twice as fast as the average for other areas in England, exceeding its government targets for new homes for the past seven years.

Academics from the Open University, which is based in the city, worked with the charity Community Action: MK to visit three local estates.

Interviews with residents informed the report: Hidden toil behind shiny fronts.

Dr Keetie Roelen is a senior research fellow in poverty and social protection at the Open University

Lead researcher Dr Keetie Roelen said many people "enjoy living in a new house in a place that is safe and secure" but delays to infrastructure like public transport, shops and health services create "challenges".

For those on low incomes, particularly without a car, this could "create a lot of stress, cost a lot of time and add expense", she said.

Casey Carlisle,19, lives with his mum on the Glebe Farm estate.

He described the area as "really nice" but he does not drive and the lack of a local shop means a 20-minute walk each way.

"If you've got a lot of shopping it's a trek getting back," he said.

He is looking for a job and has found it "quite tough...because you have got to think about travel".

Mowale Jacobs says she enjoys living on the Whitehouse estate, particularly walking in the local area

Another of the estates where the research was carried out was Whitehouse, which has a health centre, schools and a community hall.

Mowale Jacobs, 38, is a project manager who moved to the area a year ago with her husband and two children.

They previously lived in a flat in central Milton Keynes but wanted more space.

The area is "peaceful and serene" she said, "with a nice community".

She would like to see a bigger local shop.

The only shop on the Whitehouse estate sells groceries and convenience food

Work started on Whitehouse in 2016 with the first shop opening in November 2024, but it is the size of a shipping container.

Pushpinder Sethi, who lives on the estate, is proud of his shop which he described as "cute".

But he is working with the local council and developers to open a bigger store.

The research calls on local authorities to establish services and public transport links as soon as housing is developed.

Milton Keynes city councillor Shanika Mahendran says the authority has a "good working relationship" with many of the housing developers that work in the city

Outside the health centre on the Whitehouse estate, Milton Keynes city councillor Shanika Mahendran insisted that her teams took an "infrastructure first" approach.

"We try and push developers to get infrastructure in beforehand," said the Labour politician, who is the council's cabinet member for planning.

She pointed to a development called MK East where a school and medical centre were built before any residents moved in.

The council has received more than £200m in developer contributions in the past seven years.

"The challenges exist in all places and actually new development and new growth really has helped us tackle a lot of these challenges from the large amount of developer contributions and income we have had.

"That allows us to put funding back into our infrastructure and back into services that local people really care about.

"Milton Keynes would be in a much worse place now without this level of growth."

Work on the Whitehouse estate began in 2016 but many more homes are still being built

The National Federation of Builders, an industry body, said developers often needed to sell homes before they could afford to build local facilities.

Head of policy Rico Wojtulewicz said: "We need to not just blame the development industry, but we need to talk to local authorities [and] see if they are spending the money they have had for a decade off the developers as a contribution."

The group says its research in 2024 found local councils in England and Wales had £8bn in unspent developer contributions.

"I've seen loads of companies leave the housebuilding industry at the moment, because there is just no money in it," he added.

"That is bad because it means fewer homes."

He also believes more land needs to be allocated for employment, alongside housing, so the local services are in place.

"Good places need lots of land, not just houses."

The Whitehouse estate will see 4,330 new homes built in total

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We know how important it is for people to have the right services and community facilities where they live.

That's why our planning rules are clear that developments should include infrastructure as we build 1.5 million homes through our Plan for Change."